Gas-producer.



C. W. LUMWS.

GAS PRODUCER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1914.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I @W w a W M 1 5 N 0 O @0 o 00 u 1 0 O u .5 o M .0 0A 0 O o @u lmm M u 0 0 o 0 a ouuuouoof C. W. LUMIVHS.

GAS PRODUCER.

PLICATION YEILED MAY 12, 1914.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

mfi ma.

li z ma Max;

" PATENT orro CHARLES W. LUMMIS, 01F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO MORGAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, 01; WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

eas-rnonncnn.

Patented Apr. 4., 1916.

Application filed May 12, 1914.. Serial No. 838,146.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Cnaunns W. LUMMIs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ylorcester, in the county of Vorcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have in 2 ing fuel to the producer.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved form of mechanism'for automatically feeding fuel to a producer, the mechanism being: adjustable to vary the rate at which the fuel is fed in accordance with the rate of consumption of fuel within the producer.

- Another object of the invention is to pro vide means for spreading the fuel evenly,

agitating its surface and breaking up masses thereof after it is received in the producer,

the spreading means being arranged to rise:

automatically with the surface of the fuel as the thickness of the fuel bed is gradually increased during the operation of the producer. v I 4 Another ObJGCfi oi the lnvention is to provide meansfor causing the fuel to be deposited over a considerable area within-the producer, this means being adjustable to vary its effect in spreading the fuel.

Further objects and advantages will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanyinp, drawi-ngs, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of a gas producer equipped with fuel feeding and d stributing means in accordance with my invention; Fig". isa sectional elevation of a portion of the fuel feeding and distributing mecha nism shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on the line 3-3 of' Fig. 1;'F'1g; 4 is a sectional elevation on the line 4-4 of 3; Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the means for operating the fuel feed ng and distributing mechanism; and'Fig. 6 1s a sectional ele ation on the line 6-4) of Fig. 4.

Like reference characters refer to similar parts in the different figures.

In the form of the invention shown in the drawings the has producer includes a lower stationary section 1, an upper stationary soction 2supported by the'posts 3 and central or intermediate section 4. The central sec tion 4 is rotatably supported by the rollers o and may be rotated in the direction of the arrows A by a shaft 6 carrying a pinion 7 Y which drives a rack 8 secured to the section 4. The joint between the stationary section 2 and the rotatable section 4 is sealed by a Water seal 9 so as to prevent the escape, of gases. The top of the upper section 2 is adaptedto' support a body of water 10 to prevent overheating.

The fuel 11 which is to be fed to the producer passes through a hopper 12, the upper end of which, if desired,-mayv communicate with a storage bin so that the hopper will.

he charged by gravity. Below the hopper 12 is a shelt 13 upon which rests a ram 14,

the ram sliding upon the shelf through an opening 15 in one side of the hopper. When the ram 14 moves outwardly through the opening 15 so as to uncover more or less of the shelf 13, a quantity of fuel drops upon the uncovered portion of the shelf, as shown in Fig. 2, so that when the ram moves back over the shelf some of the fuel .is pushed ahead of it through the opening 16 and be yond the opposite edge of the shelf. as shown in Fla. 4. A s the fuel drops from the shelf 13 it is receivedin a secondary hopper 17.

Under the discharge open ng of the sec ondary hopper 17 is a member 18 pro ided with a vertical pocket 19 and fitting slidably between a shelf 20 and the discha ge o en ing of the hopper 17. The member 18 is reci rocated horizontally by :a connecting rod 21 dri en by a crank 22. ratchet 23. pawl 24. lever 25. connecting rod 26 and lever 27. The lever 27 is caused to raise the connecting rod 26 by the pins 28. carried on the rotating secti n 4. striking against the le er 29. the

weii ht of the parts ca sing the lever 29 to return to its initial position against the support 30 after each pin has passed it. The ram 14 actuated by a bracket 31 carried bv the pocket member 18, the upper end of the bracket sliding loosely on a rod 32 pro jecting from the ram. the rod 32 ca rrving an adjustablcston 33. The vtravel of the ram 14 may be aried in extent by adjusting the position of the stop as tovary the quantitv of fuel fed intb the hopper 17 duringeach cvcle of movement of the ram. The pins 28 are removable and. bv increasing or decreasing the nuniber of these pins, the number of feeding movements of the ram 14 and, therefore, the quantity of fuel supplied to the producer during each revolution the member 18 is in position to receiw e fuel" from the hopper 17, as shown in Fig. at. The movement of the pocket member 18 carries the pocket 19 back and forih between the discharge opening of the hopper 17 and the upper end of the passageway 35, so that the fuel received from the hopper 17 is pushed alrng the shelf 20 until it drops through the passageway 85 into the combustion chamber and onto the bed of/fuel contained therein. The pocket member 18 is provided with an extension or shelf 36 adapted to close the discharge opening of the secondary hopper 1'? while the pocket 19 is carrying fuel to the passageway 35 and returning. The least horizontal distance be tween the discharge opening of the hopper 17 and the upper end of the passageway 35 is slightly greater than the greatest horizontal length of the pocket 19, so that comniunication between the hopper 17 and the passagewav can never be established through the pocket. It is obvious that any fuel pushed off the shelf 13 by the ram ll befrre the p 'clrct 19 returns beneath the hopper 1? will rest temporarily upon the extension or shelf 36, but will be pushed into the pocket 19 by the lower edge of the hopper 1? as the pocket 19 is returned for more fuel. gas through the chute 34: while the pocket 19 is receiviin. fuel.

The wall (f the chute 34 nearest the hopper 17 is provided with a series of vanes or plates 3? which diverge downwardly so as to scatter or distribute the fuel over the surface of the fuel bell within the producer as the fuel drops by gravity through the spaces between these vanes. A second series of vanes or plates 38 are secured to the wall referred to by means of nuts 39 so as to be angularly adiustable. the angular adjustment of these latter vanes serving to increase or decrease their effect in spreading the fuel. The wall of the chute 34 which carries the vanes 37 and 38 is preferably inclined somewhat so that the fuel will not be so liable to he pushed into the open space beyond the vanes but will be more certain to slide down the wall through the spaces between the vanes.

In order that the fuel may be supplied more evenly upon the surface of the bed of An extension 36 prevents escape offuel within the producer, a horizontal fuel spreader 40 is provided to thoroughly distribute the fuel which is dropped through the passageway 35, as the said fuel is rotated by the movement of the intermediate section 4 of the producer. The spreader 40 is preferably located just in front of the point at which the fuel is deposited so that the fuel is spread out and distributed before it has a chance to become fused together or otherwise unduly (bstruct the gases rising through the fuel. The fuel spreader 40 is also lvcated in a line which is offset from the axis of rotation of the section 4 of the producer so that the path of the fuel as it reaches the spreader is cblique to the line of the spreader. The chute 3% is located so as to deposit the fuel near the side wall of the prrducer, the fuel being thus moved to wardthe outer end of the spreader 40. It is obvious that the peculiar position of the spreader will tcndto sweep the fuel toward the center of the prrducer so as to distribute it uniformly. The spreader 40 is hollow and is carried by a pair of pipes 41 extending through the top of the producer and a flexible tube 4.2 is connected with each of the pipes 41 so that thespreader and pipes may be water cooled.

A crrss'bar 43 between the two pipes 41 is engaeed by the forked extremity of a lever 44: supprrted on a pivot 45, this lever thusserving to support the spreader and pipes and to determine the vertical position of the spreader with reference to the surface of the fuel bed. The ,opposite end of the layer 44 is forked and engages a nut 44 threaded onto a screw 46. which rotates in fixed bearings formed at the top. of the producer. A pair of collars 47 prevents vertical displacement of the screw 46. The end of the lever =l-l opposite the pipes 41 and the spreader 40 is provided with a counterweight 48 to balance the weight of the pipes and spreader. The upper end of the screw 46 carries ahorizontal wheel 49 provided with radial teeth upon its upper surface. The red 32 is extended and carries a pin 50 which engages a slr-t 51 in the free end of a lever 52, the opposite end of this lever 52 being supported by a fixed pivot 53. An arm 54: pivoted "to the lever 52 and guided by an extension 55 of asupport 56 carries a pawl 57 which engages the radial teeth on the wheel 49. The support 56 also serves to carry the pivots 45 and 53 and is extended to form bearings 5Sto guide the upper ends 7 gradually rises. It is desirable. of course,

that the fuel spreader 40 maintain the same relative vertical. position. with relation in the upper surface of the fuel and, in order to accomplish this result, the spreader must rise with the surface of the fuel. As the rod 32 moves back and forth while the ram 14 is feeding coal out of the hopper 12, the screw 46 is given a slow intermittent rotation so as to draw the adjacent end of the lever 44 downwardly and thus raise the spreader 10. If it is foundthat the spreader 40 has risen either faster or sfowerthan the surface of the fuel, the rate at which the spreader rises may be adjusted to correspend to that at which the surface of the. fuel rises by adjusting the effective length of the-lever 52. In order that this may be done, the pivoted end of the lever 52 is provided with a series of holes, any one of which may be placed over the pivot 53. The pawl57 is pivoted so that it may be raised out of contact with the Wheel 49 and f thus stop the upward movement of the spreader 40, if desired, at any time. In order to obtain an initial adjustment of the spreader .40 to bring it in contact with the surface of the fuel bed, the pawl 57 is raised, and the screw 46 is turned by hand untilthe desired positigniof the spreader is secured. If the stop is adjusted toward the ram 14 so as to,. iiicrease the stroke of. the ram and thus increase the rate at whichthe fuel is fed to the producer, the stroke hf the pawl 57 will obviously be also increased so that the fuel spreader will rise more rapidly, a

result which is desirable inasmuch-"as an stop 33 is adjusted to decrease the rate at which the fuel is fed to the producer, it will also at the same time decrease the rate at which the fuel spreader 40 will rise. The stop 33, therefore, serves as a single means for simultaneously adjusting the rate at which the fuel is fed to the producer and the rate at which the fuel spreader rises.

The capacity of the pocket 19 is such that the quantity of fuel fed into it by the .ram 14 during each. of its cycles is not sufficient to fill the prcket, thus permitting the pocket to move its charge of fuel away from beneath the discharge opening of the secondary hopper 17 without the necessity of shearing o'ff lumps of fuel between the upper edge of the pocket and the lower edge of the discharge opening of the hopper, In the retracted position of the ram 14, illustrated in Fig. 2, fuel from the hopper 12 drops down on the shelf 13, said shelf being of sufficient length beyond the opening 16 of the hopper to support a definite and predetermined amount of fuel in front of the said ram as determined by the height of the opening 16 above the shelf 13, and by the feeding mechanism of the character described above, to a gas producer, demands the sealing of the producer chamber against the escape of gas in all positions assumed by the movable pocket member 18. Then a said pocket member is being charged, the escape of gas is prevented by the shelf 36;

when the pocket member is discharging into the producer, the escape. of gas is prevented by the cooperatirn of the shelf 36 with the bottom of shelf 13, the two said parts forming a seal, as shown in Fi 2.- It is particularly to be noted that this seal, for ed by the movement of.the pocket memb which brings shelf 36 beneath shelf 13, is entirely above the level of the fuel which has been segregated in pocket 19 so that no necessity arises for the edge of shelf 13 to shear throughthe mass of fuel, as would be the case if the pocket 19 were entirely filled! I claim- 1. In a fuel feeder for a gas producer, a movable member. adaptedin one position to receive a charge of fuel, and in'another position to discharge said fuel into the producer chamber, means. for forming a seal against the escape of gas from said producer chamber whensaid member is in discharging position. and means for maintaining the level of the fuel charge in said member member having a fuel receiving pocket,

means for moving said member to bring said pocket into discharging position with respect to the chamber of theproducer, means movable with said member to seal the top edge of said pocket against the'escape of'gas, and means for segregatin a charge in said pocket of less volume tian the capacitv of said pocket.

4. In a fuel feeder for. gas producers, a member having a pocket through which fuel may slide by gravity, means for recipthe lower end of the pocket, and means for feed mg a qua1:tn:.y of fuel ins'nlhclent to fill the pocket through the charging opening during each cycle of movement of the pocket member.

A gas producer including a chute for conducting fuel into the producer, and vanes within the chute to spread the fuel as it passes through the chute, one of the vanes being aniaularlv adjustable to vary its effect in spreading; the fuel.

6. A gas producer including a rotatable section, means for rotating said section, means for feeding fuel to the producer, and projections on said section for operating said feeding means, said. projections being removable to vary the rate at which the fuel is fed.

7. A uas producer including means for feeding, fuel to the producer, means for spreading the fuel within the producer, and

means for simultanoously operating said feeding means and raising said spreading means.

8. A. gas producer including means for feeding fuel to the producer, means for spreading the fuel within the producer, and means for sinndtaneouslr operating said feeding: means. and raising said spreading means, the lattcrmeans being adjustable to increase the rate at which the fuel is fed to the producer and to decrease the rah at which the spreading means israised or to decrease the rate at which the fuel is f d to the producer and intgii'casc the ratiat which the spreading incaiis is raised.

ii). In a gas prodm-ir l'. a fuel feeding lmwflb anism, means for s1ncadi1iut the fuel within the producer. means opclxatirely connecting said feeding mechanism with said spira ling means to raise the spreading means as fuel is added to the producer. and adjustable means for varying the rain at which the spreading means raised.

.nd oi: the path of y and '10. in a fuel feeder for gas producers, a

pocket, automatic means for discharging said fuel from said pocket into the combustion chamber of the gas producer, and means for sealing said chamber against the flow of gas through said pocket.

12. In a fuel feeder for gas producers, a member having a pocket, automatic means for feeding separate charges of fuel to said pocket, eachcharge being less than the capacity of said pocket, means acting alternatelv with said automatic means for dis- Charging the contents of said pocket into the combustion chamber of the gas producer, and means for sealing said chamber agai..st the flow of gas through said fuel feeder.

13. In a fuel feeder for gas producers, a

member having a pocket, automatic meansfor alternately feeding a charge of fuel to said pocket and discliaiyg ing said charge of fuel from said pocket into the combustion chamber of the producer, each charge of fuel helm: lcss'than the capacity of said pocket, and means for preventing the flow of gas from said chamber through the fuel feeder. f

H. in a fuel feeder for gas producers, a uremia-r having a pocket. means for searegratinu charges of coal of less volume than said rocket, means for feeding said charges at intervals to said pocket. and means for disrharc'iug said pocket into the gas producer between said intervals.

Diliitlt'ltlllS serenth day of May 1914-.

CHARLES W. LUMMIS. Witnesses HAnam'rT D. MANN, Wxunan A. Winn. 

